Before the 2012 GT Awards, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kazunori Yamauchi for a brief interview. We covered a wide range of topics, and I tried to cover some of the most frequently asked questions and discussed topics in GTPlanet’s forums.

Thank you to my friends at SCEA for helping to arrange this interview, and thank you to Kazunori-san for his time and his interesting responses.

On behalf of the GTPlanet community, thank you for your time today, it is great to speak with you again. As you know, fans are eager to learn more about your future plans for the Gran Turismo series. At the GT Academy finals at Silverstone, you said you wanted to focus on “human drama” in the next game. Can you explain what you meant by that?

Yes, I am sure the GTPlanet community and the fanbase there are wondering what I was talking about.

So to expand on that further, I believe Gran Turismo is not only a video game; it’s a movement. When I was at the GT Academy finals, I saw all those young people with the talent and the capacity to be involved in something that might be life-changing for them. I saw how Gran Turismo had an effect on their lives, so what I meant by that comment was that I hope GT will continue to have that affect in the future as well, because I could really see the impact Gran Turismo has had on people.

I hope it will continue to have that impact and to create drama in that sense.

Can you describe how the various themes, cars, and tracks are chosen for GT5‘s Seasonal Events?

Every time, our Online Operations team at Polyphony Digital has a discussion of what they would like to do next, then they come to me with their ideas. I take their ideas and then we decide what to do from there.

I think the online team has a very difficult job, because within the resources GT5 has they have to come up with something different every time.

You designed Gran Turismo PSP with an open structure to focus on car collection. If you were to build another mobile game, would you preserve this structure, or would you design it with a more traditional order of progression as found in other Gran Turismo games?

I always want to challenge myself to do something new every time, so if I were to create another mobile game it would be different from both GT PSP and from GT5.

Many online rooms in GT5 are created by players who want to compete against each other in drag races. GT4, of course, featured a drag strip here in Las Vegas, but there is no specialized drag racing track in GT5. Will a formal drag racing mode ever appear in GT5 or return to the series in future games?

I think there is a good chance drag racing will be featured in future Gran Turismo versions, yes.

And I think I have said this before as well, but when I went to see the NHRA drag races, I really got to see how involved those races are, because within a few seconds you can win or lose the race.

So, for example, if you had a car break after three seconds, it’s not strong enough, but if you have one that lasted for ten seconds, it would be too slow to win the race, and I think that’s the gist of drag racing. So far I have found it difficult to incorporate that into the game.

Can you explain why you decided to introduce the experience point & leveling system in GT5, and do you expect to keep it in future games?

It’s always difficult to answer a question about why we chose to do something. When we design Gran Turismo, a lot of it is just based on what we feel is the right decision at the time. When GT5 was released it just felt right to have those experience points, and that’s why we did it. I don’t know what will feel right in future games.

Every Gran Turismo version is actually very different and made from scratch; we really go back to the drawing board for a lot of things. GT5 isn’t necessarily a continuation of GT4, and the next game won’t necessarily be a continuation of GT5.

Critics often complain about the car engine sounds in GT5, claiming they sound sterile or artificial. What is your opinion on these engine sounds in GT5, and will these critics’ concerns be addressed in future games?

My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real. With the recording method we use, we use a dyno and put the load on, and the sound we produce is just too accurate. I think it would be a good thing to sort of design the sound a little bit, and so that is something I would like to challenge ourselves with in the future.

What I find is that one of our themes with Gran Turismo is to create something that is real; that is what our team is focused on, but that can be an issue sometimes as well. If we see something in front of us, we try to reproduce that very accurately, and that tendency is getting stronger.

But, I think we maybe need to make things sexier sometimes, and I think that is something the Gran Turismo team might need to work on. It could also be because our team is growing in number, which could be one of our barriers to that goal.

There are many high quality racing games and simulators on the market today. What do you feel makes Gran Turismo 5 different from these games, and how do you think these features will evolve in the future?

As for how GT5 is different from the other games, that is something you all probably know better than we do, and I think that is something for you all to decide!

As for the future, there are always so many things that we want to do and usually just not enough time, so we’ll just have to wait until the package is ready to see what can make it in.

Lucas Ordóñez just competed at Petit Le Mans in the radical DeltaWing car. What are your thoughts on this car, and can players ever expect to drive it in a Gran Turismo game?

The engineering is very interesting on the DeltaWing; it looks kind of strange to me, like a tricycle, but it is based on very solid engineering and so that is very interesting to me. To try and understand that car is like trying to solve a puzzle.

As for people being able to drive the car in a Gran Turismo game, well, Lucas is a winner of GT Academy, so that is always a possibility.

For over ten years, the GTPlanet community has tried to figure out what type of car is under the sheet on the North American cover of the first Gran Turismo game; many think it is a 1997 Camaro. Can you finally put this debate to rest and reveal what the car is?

[Laughs, a long pause…] I think it was just a sportscar, nothing really strange, but I really don’t remember…I’ll have to look that up!

About the car sounds. He says it is “too real”. None of the sounds replicate action. It’s just basic engine sounds. If you listen to many arcade games there is a lot of sounds going on besides the engine sound. Also the race cars are really simplified in sound. It is actually kind of dull. Most players seems to prefer the sexier sound than the realistic sounds aswell. So make every car sound like 1000 hp turbocharged V10’s. Problem solved ;)

Nov. 5, 3:48pm

gpjeff

Kaz has many intertesting answers…. None that that have any clear references to the questions!!! LOL

Nov. 5, 2:55pm

Rob-F1-Fan

Has anyone tried tunnel blasting in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder on NFS Most Wanted? Thats what i want GT5 to sound like!!

Nov. 5, 3:46pm

TokoTurismo

I NEED THAT GAME NOOOOW!!!!

Nov. 5, 7:29pm

Quakebass

The original or crappy “sequel”?

Nov. 5, 9:21pm

TheEzekiel

man…sounds in NFS are just so awesome…

Nov. 5, 2:53pm

Obli

My heart sank when I read that Kaz believes the car engine sound in Gran Turismo is too real.

Why does this subject always get so complicated? We’re talking about the sound of the cars (the player’s and the on-track opponents) when driving in-game. Engine, transmission, exhaust, whatever, the overall sound of the cars in-game is poor. It one of my biggest problems with the game. If Kaz cannot hear it for himself, they’ll never get better.

Nov. 5, 2:49pm

TheGTGuy

There are 3 positives to take from the paragraph about sound.

1. Sorting out sounds after recording them

2. Kaz wants to make things sexier.

3. There team is growing in numbers, which could speed up production.

Nov. 5, 2:42pm

TheGTGuy

Most start up sounds are perfect, hopefully he is reffering to this. As far as engine sounds go when racing its poor but I wish Jordan had of clarified what Kaz ment.

Nov. 5, 3:14pm

hobanator24

I agree with the first part. If you listen to the Bugatti Veyron start up in GT5 & listen to Jeremy Clarkson start up the Veyron on Top Gear, it sounds almost identical. As for the driving sounds, they are good on most premium cars but not as good on some standard cars. They just don’t have enough feeling to them as they should

Nov. 5, 2:22pm

KiroKai

Thank you Jordan, a very nice quick interview covering a lot of what the fanbase in general is wondering. I envy you for meeting Mr Yamauchi and personally speaking with him, although this is just another example how perfectly Kazunori can say a lot without telling anything.
The only aspect I thought of that you left out – though it’s a less popular demand than the at least partly supported drag – is a free roam mode in an open world (which got discussed a lot in the forums, and is mainly demanded by the cruisers) and if it is possible to appear in the future of GT. Kazunori said 2010 in an interview (excuse me, I tried googling but can’t find it atm, I’m just on my phone) that he had planned it for GT5 but quickly realised the resources/time needed to include it is not worth it, I would really like to know what he thinks about that today (also regarding Horizon as it’s – marketing wise – another part of the main rival’s offerings to their customers).
Maybe you could ask him about it at Sema 2013? :)
[short reply would be much appreciated, do you think this is important enough to ask him in case you get the chance to interview him again?]

Nov. 5, 5:32pm

Jordan

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. To be frank, I’m not personally interested in a “free roam” mode, as I don’t think that would be a good direction for the Gran Turismo series to take, so I did not consider asking him further questions about it. I know it is popular for many other people out there, though, and it is something I would consider asking him about the next time we meet.

Nov. 6, 10:29am

KiroKai

Thanks a lot!

You are right, it might or might not be a good addition to the Gran Turismo series, but I think he still has it in mind (there are some, small indicators in GT5 like the Hondas driving through the white city on the title screen), but I’d really love to know if it’s realistic to be included or not. :)

Nov. 6, 10:29am

KiroKai

*so instead of but

Nov. 5, 2:19pm

liampage123

I like what he has said, I am definelty looking forward to seeing the Deltawing and formal drag strip. I don’t fancy what he has said about the sound, the stock sounds of the cars sound good as in accuracy, like the LFA and 458, they both sound like and 458 and an LFA, but its too artificial. They need to stick with the raw sound that they have recorded, over artificial sound.

If the sound he is referring to is the startup sound when you switch to the car, then yes. Those sound nice. However, the sound when you actually drive the car is far from realistic. (At least in my opinion.)

Nov. 5, 2:26pm

KiroKai

True. Although they cheated on a few start up sounds, I remember two rally cars from around ’00 use the same start up sound (read it some time ago on here), and some recordings of the start ups are not clean (the one of the DB9 is a good example, you can hear there are background noises while the car starts).

Nov. 5, 1:10pm

Kobooi

What I read is:
* GT6 sound will still suck.
* GT6 will be inconsistent because Kaz has a lot of ideas but he doesn’t know yet (!) which will make it to the final release.
* GT6 doesn’t need to be good because it’s a movement, not a product.
* A lot of thinking by a lot of people is done to come up with a totally uninspired seasonal, so nothing is gonna change for the better.

I can now just laugh with these kind of interviews, because on Saturday I bought an xbox with Forza Horizon.

Nov. 5, 1:41pm

HKS racer

The seasonal one after the “sounds are just too real” was the most laughable…
how many “Japan Classics from the 80’s” they made??? LOL

always something new LOL

LOL

and LOL again.

Nov. 5, 2:13pm

ncrthree

LOL indeed!

We can’t get enough 5 lap sprints! More 2J TT’s!

C’mon Man.

Nov. 5, 1:00pm

phil_75

Too real! LoooooooooooooL!

Take your ear plugs out Kaz!

Nov. 5, 1:07pm

SolidS2000

Yeah I had to laugh at that too, there’s nothing reaistic about them to be perfectly honest.

After the 5 year wait for GT5, and after actually playing it, it’s simply a mess.

Kaz’s words in this interview are very strange. I sense a lot of hesitance and doubt, even though his team is getting larger (yet, this is a barrier to certain goals, he admits). Huh? Mismanagement, perhaps?

I really appreciate all that KY has done for Sony and for car enthusiasts, but a change in leadership could be a great thing. It’s just a shame that sales remain high. Too bad high sales doesn’t mean it’s a good game.

Nov. 5, 3:53pm

TokoTurismo

“Thank God 2013 is looking good for racing games fans,”

I’m SOOOO thinking about getting Project CARS for the Wii U, and hopefully Nintendo getting their own racing game ready for their system to be my new Gran Turismo. GT6 better be great, or else I’m done with GT for good.. :/

Nov. 5, 11:40pm

aronh17

No, sales do not say if a game is good. But if you generally realize that people buy these games and play them due to it being their “cup of tea” if you will, then it actually is a good game to it’s fan base, which doesn’t really need you in the equation because the fans of the game are still happy. I don’t see the mess of this game… 1,000 cars that act differently no matter if they’re premium or standard. Really accurate premium models, very accurate Nurburgring track model, day/night and rain on Nurburgring and Le Mans, two big tracks in the racing world… Major real world circuits, license tests, schools to learn how to drive NASCAR with Jeff Gordan, learning the X1 with Sebastian Vettel, doing the Samba Bus challenge on the Top Gear Test Track, Rally with Sebastien Loeb, doing the Tour of Italy with Italian cars, all the Endurance races, Professional Series, etc. It’s a complete game… One of my favorite racing games ever released to date. Not to mention the subtle yet insane physics system. I will be buying GT6 day 1 just like GT5. the game is truly a good genuine racing game, you have to look at it’s true beauty.

Nov. 6, 12:35pm

mr_pepps

^^ I’m gonna re-do the Italian Job event again – good reminder :)

Nov. 5, 12:36pm

Bahundanda

All he says is: I think… we maybe need… I would like to challenge…
Jordan said that fans would like to know more about future plans for the GT series.
Well, I don`t know anything new. (as usual when Kaz gave an Interview)

Nov. 5, 12:33pm

researchALLwars

“but when I went to see the NHRA drag races, I really got to see how involved those races are, because within a few seconds you can win or lose the race.

So, for example, if you had a car break after three seconds, it’s not strong enough, but if you have one that lasted for ten seconds, it would be too slow to win the race, and I think that’s the gist of drag racing. So far I have found it difficult to incorporate that into the game.”

ummm.. what in the world?

Nov. 5, 4:24pm

TurboProp

I think “lost in translation” applies here…weird freakin’ answer.

Nov. 5, 10:36pm

hobanator24

It makes sense if you understand NHRA drag racing. I mean, if you watch NHRA, the races are 3 seconds, and most of the time, one or both of the cars break on the first run. But I think Kaz wants to implicate actual NHRA drag racing into Gran Turismo, which would be very complicated. What Kaz means, is if your car breaks after 3 seconds, you won’t have enough power to beat your opponent, and if your car finishes the run in ten seconds and your car doesn’t break, your car isn’t fast enough to win. I hope this simplifies things

Nov. 5, 12:09pm

Flagmo-T

Ohh well he does look good in the Suit!! :o) Human Drama read the comments, there is your human Drama Kaz .. Then A lot of great SImRace Games’ delivers Human Drama hahaha Come on Dude ( your word for Exiting Race game hm ? )

I’m Sorry – But GT isn’t the No:1 anymore and will probably not be in the future, But that’s nothing new, It’s always like that, K.Y created the best kind of SImRace with GT1-2-3-4′ Gt5 prologue – But GT5 isn’t the best, but has some of the best ½ ideas, so many stupid small changes could make it the No:1 – But again we have to buy GT6 to see them, and then there will be New stupid small changes to scream about..

Sounds are too real, Kaz says!
I guess they’re not getting any better…What a let down…

Nov. 5, 10:55am

DonZonda

GT5 sounds too real? Oh my…. Kaz !!! he must be deaf or really confused…
Since I own both console, I played now FM4 and Horizon, the sounds are awesome in all kind of terms.
I love Gran Turismo and cant wait for the 6th thats why I stick now with Forza which is lots of fun. But I am still the GT guy and cant understand how he can say too realistic?!?!?! Ugh… sad sad

Nov. 5, 10:32am

HKS racer

Sound too real ??????

LOLWUT? :D Kaz you are the joker.

Nov. 5, 10:27am

Brunet Paquet

Lots of angry people. That’s what i see down here in the posts. Racing Mufflers’re very imperfect,i believe that. But hey,don’t put on the racing muffler and you’ll be fine. If you use a racing car,listen to the radio instead. There’s plenty of ways to work it out without grudge,guys.

Nov. 5, 1:57pm

KiroKai

Given all the problems with the sound (the stock/real exhausts sound too light in general, lots of real sound effects are missing or simply have the wrong sound like turbochargers), and that you can’t drive race cars without stumbling across lots of unrealistic/annoying sounds (if they were unreal but would sound good then that wouldn’t be as much of a problem… but they sound bad, really bad, in most cases) Kazunori just sounds ridiculous when he says ‘The cars sound too realistic’. The samples are far from realistic, the real recorded ones are not correctly proceeded into the game, the generated ones just sound like that – computer generated. Even if he is a guy who has to be clever at advertising his game brand, he knew he is supposed to speak to a big fan website about the problems of GT5 and the future of GT6, but he did neither.

Nov. 5, 10:06am

440 CHARGER

Perhaps Kaz (and everyone else who thinks GT5’s sounds are realistic) is talking about the engine sounds that play when you change cars in the garage. Those sounds are realistic and accurate.

Surely Kaz is not talking about the actual in-game engine sounds while racing being accurate. I will agree that some are decent and they did a decent job with the NASCAR sounds, and the F1 sounds okay, and some of the stock exhaust sounds on the premium cars are pretty good like the C6 Corvette, SRT Challenger and Gallardo. Even the LFA doesn’t sound too bad in my opinion. But if you upgrade the exhaust you are throwing any realism out. They replicate these sounds on way too many cars. It seems like there are maybe 20 or 30 unique sounds that they divide up among the hundreds and hundreds of cars. A SRT Viper with racing exhaust is not going to sound the same as a ’71 Challenger with racing exhaust. A straight out V10 does not sound the same as straight out V8 Hemi. It just doesn’t. I know they can’t possibly make individual recordings for all four different exhaust options on every car in the game. I’m not asking for that. But at least put a V8 sound on a V8 car. It doesn’t have to be perfectly accurate, but at least give me the feeling like I am driving a Hemi and not driving V6 or I4. It’s so random and I am curious as to how they determine which car gets what sound.

My real complaint, however, is with the transmission sound. I don’t put racing transmissions in any of the cars in GT5 because of the horrible high-pitch squeal that comes with them. I understand that a racing transmission in real life makes that high-pitch sound as it spins faster and faster, but we don’t need to have that sound overpower the sound of the engine note. It makes it difficult to hear the shifting points at times when the transmission is making more sound than the exhaust. PD needed to tone those sounds down by about 80% in my opinion. They are just annoying.

The sounds aren’t terrible, but they just aren’t legitimate in a lot of areas.

HOWEVER, the instant replay sounds with the way the sounds falloff when the car gets further away is great and spot on. The two uniquely different sounds of a car coming toward you and a car getting further away from you are near perfect. I couldn’t give PD a bigger thumbs up when it comes to that. They did a great job with the way that sounds.

Nov. 5, 10:51am

counter345

“But if you upgrade the exhaust you are throwing any realism out.”

I’m sure Kaz was talking about the original sounds on stock exhausts. I can agree that they are artificially created.

Nov. 5, 11:21am

BongRipz

Engine sounds arnt the same as the exhaust sound. I think that question could have been alittle better.

Nov. 5, 2:10pm

KiroKai

I agree with you, the transmission whine is the reason I try not to use custom transmission on as many cars as I can, and I rather drive with less power than with a terrible generetic exhaust sound using racing exhaust pipes.

Unfortunately the start ups in the garage sound nice because they are one off recordings which simply are played as an audio file, while the sound a car has on track needs to be looped and always available on demand, depending on the current state of your car (RPM, speed, throttle input are the only things that influence your sound in GT5, the throttle input just makes your car louder the harder you push the pedal). I really wish PD’s sound department had messed up the start ups and got the on track loops right instead… that’d hurt way less. For GT6 I expect both to be up to GT standards (or Premiums, considering GT5…), and by that I mean the sounds need to be as good as the physics.

Nov. 5, 9:49am

tpark103

Execellent Q&A session, you asked most if not all the questions and hit a few things we may have forgot about. Nice work

Nov. 5, 9:11am

Renan_

My opnion about all of this is: The people should ready the entire answer, mainly the sounds answer. did you all ready the last part of the freaking answer?

Nov. 5, 9:25am

Renan_

Sorry, * did the biggest part of you read the last part of his answer

Nov. 5, 9:26am

MuoNiuLa

Yeah, I did read the whole freaking answer. He says the sounds are beyond accurate and real, yet he thinks they need more work. Sounds like he can’t make up his mind.

Nov. 5, 9:41am

Tenacious D

YOU sound like a one note dweeb.

Nov. 5, 9:07am

hardvibes

“My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real”
“the sound we produce is just too accurate”
“I think it would be a good thing to sort of design the sound a little bit”

A little bit??… For the first time ever Kazunori disappoints me.

Nov. 5, 8:54am

MANU56BZH

Mr Kazunori Yamauchi san…..

MORE ROAD TRACK PLEASE !!!
– Costiera Amalfitana
– Citta Di Aria
– El Capitán
– Some Rally special in Croatia, France, Japan…
– Some Japanese roads in the middle country Hills to Hills (climb/down) will be JUSTE PERFECT !

Nov. 5, 9:05am

20832

Touge Special Stages would be insanely awesome!

Nov. 5, 8:49am

JackC8

So the engine sounds in GT5 are perfect and we shouldn’t expect them to be different in GT6. Okay. I’ll keep driving my pipe organs and radio controlled airplanes around then. And as I expected, the prospect of the delta wing car is a “possibility”, i.e. forget about it.

I think the comment about how adding people to their staff is creating a barrier to their goal is particularly telling. You’d never hear another developer express that sort of negative attitude towards growing their company.

Nov. 5, 12:02pm

BarronGeddon

stop crying. jeez.

Nov. 5, 8:23am

Tvensky

All this interview & stuff is great!

But I got disappointed about human drama…

If GT6 will stay this sterile, with no racing “human drama”. then it would be disappointment for most people..
I think most people dont want GT5 to be life changing tamagotchi… I mostly want to use GT for racing with my wheel online with friends… and I can play GT for hours without driving at all, randomly surfing around cars, shops, options and tuning..

it still have influence… but I want less GT academy & drama stuff.. and more action in actual game!

Nov. 5, 8:09am

Luminis

I genereally refrain from commenting on anything related to Gran Turismo, but the bit about the car sounds being too real is… Interesting. Lots of cars sound like PD captured more of the dyno’s noise then the car’s engine sounds. I haven’t heard a car running on a dyno, so that might sound pretty much what’s happening in GT. But, for themselves, most cars won’t sound like that.

Nov. 5, 8:30am

Griffith500

There’s little dyno noise, it’s mostly engine noise . Stick your head under the sump of a running engine, and it’ll sound very mechanical. Sound has a 1/r falloff in open air, so close-micing your sources will massively reduce background noise captured in recordings.

It worries me that Kaz is unaware of the real reasons for the sterile sounds; I hope at least the sound team are.
I’m not liking the sexier comment, though. Please no NFS Shift silliness.

Nov. 5, 7:23am

GT911

I would ask him more interesting questions such as why on GT mode most of the races doesn’t feature the 16 cars, why we all the time have to start the races moving and not from a grid, why there is no qualifying to define the race position, why if your team took the time to work on weather change day/night transition is barely used on gt mode, and that question also goes for the seasonal events why is 99.9 % of the races there never features weather or day/night transition. Why if you now the exciting of being a race driver never try to add those features, I imagine a race that starts raining and suddenly stops the raining so you have to change tires, so you need to change you strategy in order to win, another thing is why can’t we not able to choose IA cars and IA difficult on GT mode…. I say this because I have never seen IA using a DLC car or sometimes is not too agresive so is ease to win a race….

Nov. 5, 7:33am

e30 freek

Its AI @GT911 and id ask him do you make your games based on what your fans want or what you want

Nov. 5, 8:04am

JaySamurai

Id also ask if there will be a more balanced selection of cars from around the world. GT5 has a ridiculous amount of japanese cars in the Dealerships compared to other manufactures.

Id also say GT5 can be very restricting at times. It would be nice to play the game the way the player would like, example as you mentiond ^^ selecting AI opponents, grid starts, etc.

Nov. 5, 7:14am

infamousphil

Hey Kazunori Yamauchi san, don’t get discouraged by the group groping here at GTPlanet. If there was a better driving simulator out there they’d be griping on some other forum. Some folk don’t know what an “audiophile” is. Keep up the good work. Nice GT Award pick for 2012. That whip is ugly but the mid-engine concept more than makes up for it. And as for as “realism” is concerned, I’m still waiting for those crash clowns to be made to sit at track-side, burned to the ground while the rest finish the race ;)

Nov. 5, 8:04am

MuoNiuLa

Keep sucking up to him. I’m sure he’ll reply.

Nov. 5, 8:48am

Tenacious D

How that was an enlightened remark… meh. This place is too full of sucky tude sometimes.

Nov. 5, 8:53am

TokoTurismo

LOL! @MuoNiuLa’s post. :D

Nov. 5, 5:39pm

TurboProp

How’s that GT kool-aid dude?

Nov. 5, 6:24am

Felix79

Respect for actually getting time to interview Kaz-san , as I expect he’s a seriously busy chap. Just shows the power of the internet and fanbase this game has :)

I do have to also agree with other comments about utter disbelief about the comment about the sounds in game. Maybe some Foza 4 clips on hand may have been useful to show him. Mind you , is that like giving bacon to a Jew?

Nov. 5, 8:50am

Tenacious D

Forza car sounds are stupid loud. It’s wrong in the other direction. It drowns out the tire sounds! Which you need to drive on the edge of grip well, which is what you need to win races.

My stock Supra in FM4 sounds like it has a Borla installed. Get real, Forza fanz… jeepers.

Nov. 5, 5:59am

TurboProp

“My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real. With the recording method we use, we use a dyno and put the load on, and the sound we produce is just too accurate.” Hey everybody! Those noises are just too dang real for us simple folk…HA!!! I’m glad Kaz set us straight…all this time I thought I knew what an American V8 with a performance exhaust system sounded like! I’ve got to take my Z28 back to the muffler man and have him fix my Magnaflo cat-back system! Hey Bro, this things all wrong! It’s supposed to sound like one of those fancy Dyson vacuums! Maybe I should find a dyno, put a load on it and THEN it will sound right…the only “load” PD was involved in was the “load” Kaz was giving to Jordan…

Thanks for trying Jordan, talking to Kaz sounds like an interview with Joe Biden…

Nov. 5, 3:57am

RobDoggy05

Great interview!

Pitty about the sound comments he made (that i disagree) but people are complaining about the sounds in GT5 (which yes are bad) BUT he did mention that they will/might make an effort to fix/ make them sexier, for future GT series which is a positive for me, and gives me hope for GT6

The simple fact is, regardless of how pissed off most of you are, and how many thousands of words you’re spouting in anger and disgust and everything else right now, ninety nine percent of you will be buying Gran Turismo 6, regardless of whether Kazunori Yamauichi listens to your frustrations. And we can also be almost certainly sure that nobody from Polyphony Digital is looking through the comments section to this post and gathering feedback.

Many of you claim that as you buy games from the Gran Turismo series you have a right to give feedback, but at the end of the day I think that the amount of complaining is grossly disproportionate to the thirty dollar price tag, and achieves nothing but giving you the feeling that you aren’t being listened to, which you aren’t.

Nov. 5, 6:30am

karelpipa

I have the same opinion as Magic Ayrton and his friends. If GT6 will be only on PS4 it must be even (much) bigger leap forward in proper game perspective (not only graphics or sounds makes a game a game, you know)

Nov. 5, 8:16am

JaySamurai

Theres alot of upcoming racing titles out there, F1, project car etc. I would be careful on those stats. Shortly after GT5 came out alot of my friends jumped ship to play Forza. Remember alot of those Forza fan’s were once GT fans. As for GT6 like Magic i’m on the fence on this one.

Nov. 5, 9:11am

SCER

It’s fair enough if you aren’t going to buy it, but if the racing sim market is competitive as JaySamurai, then why is this post worth wasting all of that time and stress on. I don’t mean to come across as obnoxious or big headed.

Nov. 5, 2:54am

Slurm

A producer who builds something as fundamental as a level /experience system based on “a feeling” and can’t explain or remember the reasoning behind it? I despair. I really do.

Nov. 5, 2:47am

XPOWER180

Well that answered a lot – NOT! Answered like a true salesman. And as for all the ngine sounds being done individualy on a dyno . . really?? Does that explain why the V12 Lamborghini Diablo (an old standard model dating back to GT3) has the exact same engine note as the straight 6 powered Skyline R32 TC and probably a few others too? Sorry but that’s bull.

Nov. 5, 2:51am

XPOWER180

*engine*

Nov. 5, 9:53am

counter345

Aftermarket exhausts were most likely artificially recreated.

Nov. 5, 2:37am

David Brooks

My foot is well and truly in the “GT5 sounds aren’t right” camp, however I only rank this at about #4 on the list of things that GT5 has wrong that must be improved for GT6. At the top of the list is the rabbit car and the predictable AI. If they fixed that to give true wheel to wheel close racing I would be happy, even if the sounds remained the same.

Nov. 5, 2:27am

MONSTAR-1

Exactly!

Nov. 5, 1:11am

hadjimurad

i can record a person singing a million different ways, some ways will sound awesome, other ways will sound bland and boring. just positioning the mic in different places will all yield vastly different results. just because you record a car on a dyno with a mic without a lot of effects DOESN’T mean you CAPTURED the real sound of the car…or more simply, just because you DID it, doesn’t mean it came out WELL. is there some Japanese cultural thing that keeps execs from admitting mistakes, or is it a SONY corporate culture thing? or what?

WHY OH WHY did Kaz have to say that about sounds. Now things gotten even worse now, and these defenders descending from the sky. UNBELIEVABLE… It’s funny though, because Kaz cost even more “human drama” now…

Overall, thank you for the interview Jordan, it was great. :)

Nov. 5, 9:54am

counter345

These ‘defenders’ are nothing like you ‘attackers’ who, when someone has a different opinion of the sounds, consider their view ‘unbelievable’… I think you need to accept that other people think differently.

Nov. 4, 10:48pm

Clutchdj

Engine sounds are not bad at all. Keep them raw and unfiltered Kaz. please don’t add anything artificial to them, like most other runner up simulators.

Nov. 4, 10:57pm

Tenacious D

I own a Supra MkIII and it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. In real life. The Sound in Forza 4 is like something with a Borla.

Now, I will throw the sound bigots a bone and say that many cars in GT5 could use more grunt and growl. But a whole townfull of the yahoos from around here act like nothing has changed since GT1. Some dim bulb actually said they used the SAME tire sounds from GT1. So I think most of us should just ignore the whining and walk around the crabgrass.

Nov. 4, 9:57pm

Zuel

Thanks Jordan, this interview has put a lot of matters to rest.

Nov. 4, 9:53pm

colj00

as soon as i read the title, i though OMG.

Nov. 4, 9:48pm

otakukid96

People, stop complaining about the sounds. It’s Kaz’s video game series, so he gets final say on everything. If you don’t like what he’s doing, make your own game.

Nov. 4, 10:02pm

HPUnleashed

I wouldn’t complain if he hadn’t just come out and said that the sounds are “just too real”. Anyone who’s gotten the Veyron in the game and driven it knows that that’s not how it sounds in real life at all!

I don’t like complaining to developers, because I know how much work they have to put in just to make a game. But I can’t let something like this get by. Part of the reason why people prefer Forza more than GT5 is because the sounds are so much better.

Nov. 4, 10:51pm

Tenacious D

“Part of the reason why people prefer Forza more than GT5 is because the sounds are so much better.”

Yeah, I know. “VROOM VROOM!!” = bedder game to too many people. ;P

Nov. 4, 10:58pm

Terronium-12

Or, since I took money out of my pocket to purchase the game I’ll criticize what I please.

Yeah I’ll stick with that.

Nov. 5, 12:48am

TokoTurismo

^ +100

Nov. 5, 1:03am

SimonK

Ah, the good old “I’d like to see you do better” argument, always a great staple of internet discussion.

Nov. 4, 9:41pm

HPUnleashed

“My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real.”!!!? Please Mr. Yamauchi, you almost made me burst out laughing in front of everyone! YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!

Have you ever watched a single episode of Top Gear? They did the Ferrari 458 recently, so you can check out how that’s supposed to really sound. I don’t know why you would say something that’s so blantantly untrue. I mean, all it takes is going to the race track, or for that matter going on Youtube, and checking out what the cars really sound like.

I’ve done several PC simulators that actually get the sound right, and for you to say something like this is just embarassing. Please, just admit that the sounds are off, and fix them.

Nov. 4, 10:05pm

Zuel

Ok, so you taking the sound quality from your TV, a TV show and your PC or laptop and comparing them to the sound quality to GT5. Which you may be playing with muffs on, have you bothered to test your finding in a sound room? If not I can’t follow your argument.

Nov. 4, 10:31pm

HPUnleashed

The cars may sound perfect in a sound room, but the average human being doesn’t have a sound room to go play there games in. If you think that’s what he’s basing his judgement off of, then he has a point. But they should at least test the sounds out for simpler speakers. I’m not a Forza fan at all, but at least they test on several different speaker set ups, and make adjustments so everyone can at least come close to hearing how the car actually sounds.

My arguement was simply that with all these other medias, whether game, show, or Youtube; they can at least come pretty close to what you might hear when you’re in the drivers seat or standing next to the car. I really don’t see how they could all get the sound wrong, and yet somehow Gran Turismo is the only one that can make them sound real.

I don’t use muffs, but if you truly believe that GT5 nails the sounds right, that’s all the better for you. It really comes down to personal opinions I guess. I was merely trying to state mine.

Nov. 4, 9:32pm

JER_CREST

My brother and I looked at the Gran Turismo 1 cover and we think it is a Honda NSX.

Nov. 5, 7:21am

jacoja06

Looks very NSX-ish to me too. That’ll be my bet. :) Don’t think it’s a Camaro because of the shape of the wheel-arches and spoiler are very slightly different.

Gt5 sound’s are too accurate? Hmm if he really thinks that then there’s no hope for improvement in GT6.
We’re gonna get ‘sexy’ Hoovers :)
God dayum Kaz just retire already, your becoming a complete embarrassment, and eat some veggies while your at it, you don’t look well at all!

Nov. 4, 8:33pm

vlonjati77

My opinion(which is fact for me)-the sound is great,I have a 7.1 DENON surround system.race with a wheel and i feel like im driving in real life the cars on my newly bought 55′ 3D TV.now I wont go search videos on internet to see how really the cars sound like.its a game.if you want it to sound like in real life,might as well buy the damn car if you can afford it and dont yap in every article about gt5.For you folks without surround sound system i got an advice-go buy a surround system or do not comment about the sound.dont bother commenting cause i wont care reading it,got more important things in life.In mean time im going back to race at NURB gt500 with ABS OFF :) .have a nice day every1.

Nov. 4, 9:13pm

BobbyBRAKEaNek

Vlonjati, I’m with you on the sound.

Kaz said it was recorded on a dyno under load. Dyno is not real world. Not mention sound deadning material installed in cars today,which works so good manufactures have speaks installed to replicate engine sounds.
Just say you guys want jazzed up sounds. Frame flex sounds, louder back fires, blah blah.

Nov. 4, 9:51pm

HPUnleashed

@BobbyBRAKEaNek:

I’d agree with you, but that that still doesn’t explain why the actual race cars, which are stripped down and don’t have any of that added garbage, in the game sound so horrible. And vlonjati77, not everyone can just go out and buy a big surround sound system. At least Forza developers consider the people who have stereo speakers as their only option.

Nov. 5, 7:10am

M13rdaInTheSky

^ I personally prefer how it is now it sounds just fine on my system…
And I also own forza…
if your willing to settle for just stereo then why can’t you settle for the sound that’s coming out of them…
I got an idea lets just do 2 recordings for every sound one for those that have and the other for those that don’t that way we satisfy the sound nazis and double the amount of space the sounds take up…
That will surely leave enough space on disc to keep the “we don’t have enough premium cars” whiners quiet…

Nov. 4, 8:26pm

pnbr0014

what someone needs to do in the next interview is show him this video then the video of the car in the game and ask why there is such a difference.. and don’t take me for a mindless cynic either. GT5 is an amazing feat of physics and graphics.. but one of the BIGGEST joys of any car enthusiast is listening to the sound of cars. isnt that what GT5 is about? the overall experience? then whyy leave in MY opinion one of the best parts of experiencing any car to chance?.. i’d rather have a few cars look feel and sound great than have a thousand cars that don’t..

Nov. 4, 8:07pm

geomonkey

What a complete waste of time. I dont mind him keeping future game details on the down low but those answers are pitiful!!! He says that we know better than polyphony with regards to GT being better/worse than the competition but it wouldn’t harm him to give us his opinion on why he thinks it’s better than Forza. Either the interpreter was rubbish or his social skills are non existent. I mean, what has Lucas winning GT Academy got to do with us getting a shot of the Deltawing IN GAME?!? We’d get more sense out of a five year old explaining the meaning of life!!!

Nov. 4, 8:24pm

Whodoyouthink

He’s pointing towards the fact that since PD and Nissan have some sort of ties because of the GT Academy, getting them to agree to let them put in Gran Turismo is pretty likely. Can no one understand subtext here…stop taking everything so literally.

Nov. 4, 10:20pm

Halcyon925

Kazunori is trying to say as much as possible without getting hounded by the media. If he were to tell us that Gran Turismo 6 will feature like 100 new tracks from around the world; then I’d bet we’d be all up in his buisiness about what tracks are in the game. So yeah, he’ll say as much as he can, while not releasing new information that other companies like Turn10 will find out about and maybe try to steal.

Nov. 5, 4:03am

geomonkey

Halcyon the question was in reference to GT5 so ill refer to my previous point that I dont mind him keeping quiet about GT6 but when asked about the current game and how it differs from Forza, none of us want stupid answers like “you decide” WE HAVE DECIDED but you clearly just cannot be bothered . Whodoyouthink, We dont want subtext, we want straight forward answers. Will we get a shot of the Deltawing? “it is something we will try to organise” thank you, thats all we can ask for.

Nov. 4, 7:57pm

AKA I95

Very well done interview, I believe you cover most of the questions an average GT5 player had in mind, specially the GT5 drag racing community. Being a pro GT5 drag racer myself I can’t express my great gratitude to you for implying about drag racing on GT5. To be honest with you, I thought Master Kazunori Yamauchi had no idea about the growth of GT5 drag racing community. In behalf of my fellow GT5 drag racers and myself I thank you ver much.

Nov. 5, 1:21am

another_jakhole

+1

Nov. 4, 7:44pm

AERO_HDT

Personally I think half of what Kaz says is true regarding the sounds – I think PD literally translate the audio without much processing into the game’s sound engine. I think it’s pretty pure, and rather simple.

I think games like Forza and the like tend to over-embellish engine sounds. They sound fantastic, but are they realistic? I guess it’s an issue of “who cares” when it sounds this good…

GT5 has had the best sound ever in any GT game, it is a vast improvement over what we got in the past. There will be more improvements to come. I’ve no doubt that a digital 7.1 surround sound system would make GT5 sound a lot better, but it would probably do just as much for the competition.

Nov. 4, 8:19pm

Neilson248

My theory Is that PD has different teams of staff working on different aspects of the sound… I think he had a specific team working on the premium car (stock) sounds and others working on upgraded engine sounds… A lot of the stock premium cars sounds really good and very realistic but not all… A lot of the standard cars have a more simplistic sound although quite a few are not too bad… Anyway what I am trying to say is that take note of where he says havering an expanding team could be a barrier to improvement maybe means that he did not have as many experienced staff to produce high quality sounds and I have a feeling that this will be dramatically improved for the next game hopefully

Nov. 4, 8:19pm

TheeFrogmanlego

Exactley what people don’t want to understand, that my Sexy Mach one outside doesn’t sound as it does in forza, it barley makes noise.. yet in forza and every other game.. its bur bur bur bur bur bur like they forgot to apply the muffler..

Nov. 4, 8:57pm

pnbr0014

I agree with you TheeForgmanlego need for speed shift had that same issue of making the cars kind of enhanced… but!. my question is if you were to put a race spec titanium exaust system on that sexy mach one. what would you expect it to sound like? not a grunting angry man? LOL.. it wouldnt make the engine sound completely different it would make it sound like a louder angrier version of itself. upgrades do change the way cars sound some more than others but the sound never completely changes to the point where people are asking if you changed ur engine out completely.. good in game examples of this is the ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini gallardo. both sound the exact same way when the racing exaust is applied and both have completely different engines thats unacceptable if you ask me.

Nov. 4, 10:22pm

Halcyon925

I heard the sound of a Mazda MX-5 in Forza 4, and it sounded like a Dodge Charger.

Nov. 4, 11:57pm

SimonK

“My theory Is that PD has different teams of staff working on different aspects of the sound…”

They don’t have any “teams” working on the sound, watch the credits.

Nov. 4, 7:40pm

SolidSnake7735

@Moontallico

Here is why I’m not contradicting myself

When broadcasting sound from live programming, the broadcaster doesn’t have to create from scratch the sounds they’re capturing. They simply stream them to be heard live. The only processing that goes into place is sound balancing, levels, equalizing sometimes, and they try to keep the sounds as original as possible. I’ve worked in broadcasting, I know this firsthand. The sounds are being made LIVE.

The difference with Video Games is that there have to be algorithms set in place to play a sound from the game’s sound files at any given moment. They have to be PROCESSED for playback.

What PD has done is set the playback to run the sound of a car at any given RPM. And the Turbo’s Blow-Off Valve is one sound sample. Instead what they SHOULD do is have an algorithm in place that plays back a car’s engine noise not only at any given RPM but differentiate between acceleration, deceleration, heavy load, light load, when you floor it and when you feather the gas. The differences in air intake depending how open the throttle is and that swooshing suction sound from bigger engines. I could go on forever with what sound they should capture, like the suspension loading and squeaking under heavy loads and so on.

At least the exhaust backfire sounds cool, as well as the tires screeching, slipping and sliding.

There needs to be an algorithm in place to control ALL of those parameters at any given moment to reproduce authentic sound. Think of what Battlefield 3 has done in sound design, making the WORLD a dynamic soundscape where the sounds are activated as you traverse the environment. The sounds are carried by their respective subject. For example, the sound of a bullet whizzing by. The sound is CARRIED by the bullet, heard by the soldier. What determines if it’s a zip, whiz or crackle is how far the bullet is from the soldier’s head because there is a sound sphere algorithm set to that bullet. The close to the epicenter of the sound (the bullet) the lounder the sound. But it’s a 3-layered sphere in which at a certain distance from the epicenter, the sound changes to a zip, then a whiz. The epicenter being the snap/crackle. and then the thud of impact is a different sound algorithm in which the subject of the sound IS the point of impact, and the sound plays from THERE.

As opposed to GT, the sounds are played by the game’s ear (aka, the driver’s head) and the sounds are different in relation to the subjects distance and orientation. Such ass roof-cam (you’ll hear the turbos spooling and blow-off valve), chase cam (for the better exhaust note), and bumper-cam (transmission and gearing noise, eww).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, can anyone tell me that I’m wrong or that I don’t know what I’m talking about. Cut PD some slack, they’re not a sound-centric studio like DICE has been or Santa Monica or Ubisoft Montreal or Rockstar North and San Diego. Why SONY hasn’t invested in a dedicated, expert sound team is beyond me, they choose how to spend their money.

If the sounds are sooooo integral to your enjoyment of the game, go play Forza and you’ll have an orgasm every time you step on the gas. But have fun with the subpar physics, which is WHY I PLAY Gran Turismo.

Good day.

Nov. 4, 9:43pm

Moontallico

@SolidSnake7735

“SolidSnake7735 is with the word realistic.
Actually he’s kinda contradicting himself.
How can he say the car sounds are realistic yet badly processed?
The sounds would be realistic IF they knew how to process those sounds.”

I do know the sounds they capture are real, they had to come from somewhere after all. (duh!)
But see if this makes sense: as raw, yes the sounds are real, but since they have to be processed to samples to play in game, if they’re badly processed at this point, to the point of losing their characteristics, they stop being realistic.

An example for what PD’s doing would be, if something went wrong with the mastering, by mistake or something, of the sound during the broadcast of a show and the voice of the host was altered to something else but his/her real voice like distortion or a bad EQlizing.

In other cases is just plain lazyness from PD and rush to gain money (clearly the case of the Honda HSV-010 as an example) None can say that car has a realitic sound, can they? Well, Kaz aparently can…

Completly agree with the 3rd &4th paragraphs.

About what the sounds are played by, I know for a fact that the sounds in rFactor, while onboard, they’re always played by the engine. It can been noted when changing the Onboard cameras to diferent angles.
In GT5 it should too, and not by the driver’s head. But I don’t know and won’t say anything else on this because I would seriously be speaking without knowledge on this matter.

But enough with the scoulding.. When most game companies only worry about having one sound source, the exhaust, GT5 actually has two diferent sound sources, besides the exhaust it also has the enginne. That’s a plus for me. The rest, however, is just bad.

As for Forza, I wouldn’t play it for it’s sounds either, as they, just like the NFS Shift 2 sounds, have a wierd lag when revving and shifting.

If in some part of this text wall I wasn’t clear, ask me to rephrase it, as it’s 2:30 am, and I’m doozing off :b

Cheers

Nov. 4, 9:50pm

SolidSnake7735

Word… they say SONY rushes them to complete the game, and sound is the least complex facet of the Gran Turismo formula, so they either rush that or don’t try hard enough lol.

I play with 5.1 surround using the Astro A40 headset so i can’t complain too much because I like the high dynamic range and enjoy the ambiance.

At least we can all agree that they NEED to improve their sound and make them sexier. And at least Kaz acknowledged that there needs to be a change.

Nov. 4, 11:55pm

greg666

yes and YES.
Hands down mate.

Nov. 5, 8:33am

Moontallico

Yes indeed, I agree with that. :)

Nov. 4, 6:32pm

hennessey86

I can’t understand the continued denial by some of you regarding GT5s sound, its obvious to anyone who knows cars they sound nothing like there real counterpart. Take the LFA for example, this car is often used to highlight GT5s sound as being good, but if you watch any video and actually listen you will hear it sounds nothing like the real thing and as long as you keep defending pd thy will continue to do what they have always done.

Nov. 4, 6:45pm

Nismo34

“watch any video” That made me laugh. Unless you hear it in real life, you wont know for sure what its supposed to sound like. Listening to videos on YouTube does not put one in the position to say “That sounds wrong”

Nov. 4, 7:34pm

Hypergolem

Of course they sound different. The real engine sound doesn’t come out of speakers. It is a much more complex sound situation, it involves many mechanical components, acoustics, structure of the car.
Stop complaining about the sounds!

Nov. 4, 8:38pm

MuoNiuLa

Stop making excuses for PD.

Nov. 4, 6:31pm

FosterG

Too realistic, the engine sounds, homey says “I don’t think so” . Very generic and pretty shameful when up against the likes of Forza or the new kid, Horizon.

Nov. 4, 7:57pm

pnbr0014

holey crap! i couldnt agree more i was like what the hell when i read that… is this guy serious? LOL.. he applies the same damn sounds to so many different cars when you upgrade the exaust systems… yeh sure the stock cars might sound like they are supposed to in the show room mostly but when it comes to especially the race cars its TERRIBLE!!

Nov. 4, 6:19pm

eclipsee

“the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real” … if you compare them to a vacuum cleaner ones.

I can’t believe yet what he said, he lost his perfectionism somewhere.

Nov. 4, 6:15pm

aronh17

So you guys are really saying Kaz doesn’t know what he’s talking about? He’s a professional race car driver and leads the team that makes the highest selling simulation racing game out. GT5 sold more than Forza 2 and 3 combined. I cannot see people saying they know car sounds better than a man that knows and has been around cars a lot longer than pretty much all of you. Can’t we lower our expectations a bit instead of focusing on the prettiest and best sounding games? Is it not about just playing the game anymore? I come from the 16 bit generation just 15 years ago, and a lot has changed. You have to keep in mind, as new technology comes out the more you squeeze in a game the longer it takes and the harder it is to make.

Nov. 4, 6:22pm

Terronium-12

You cannot be serious.

Nov. 4, 6:22pm

SimonK

1. Kaz is not a professional race driver, he’s an amateur.
2. Sales =/= a great game.
3. If Kaz thinks the sounds in GT5 are too realistic then yes, there are other people that know better than him because that is baloney. Why is that so hard to believe, Kaz is not some car audio genius, he’s a normal guy that likes cars like the rest of us.

Nov. 4, 7:17pm

aronh17

I am serious. And Kazunori Yamauchi is considered a professional racecar driver. Lol… The man is in his 40s and has been around cars most of his life. He’s done the Nurburgring 24 hours a lot, which isn’t a very easy track.

Nov. 4, 11:59pm

SimonK

He’s not a pro and what has any of that got to do with knowing about sound design in a video game?

Nov. 5, 10:55am

counter345

“You cannot be serious.”

Yes, he can. That comment is silly and adds nothing to discussion.

“Sales =/= a great game.”

Something must be going right if people are buying, but I agree with that sales does not necessarily show quality.

“that is baloney”

Opinion =/= fact.

Nov. 4, 6:03pm

THEPUNISHER

what i discovered from this interview is gran turismo future is going to be better.
is gran turismo days are gone ????? i mean its not gonna be better like its time to move on with other games?

Nov. 4, 5:59pm

Drag Labs 101

2yrs now I played GT5 just about everyday.. Until the last update that is. I’ve played maybe 10times since then. It’s just to disappointing after all this time like the answer about the engine sounds… Too realistic?! Give me a break… If you’ve ever played Forza at all with volume you’ll understand even more on how absurd that answer was. Realist Kaz is being able to hear a real engine sound (not a dirt devil) with real turbo blow off sounds and real super charger whine noise. That’s realist Kaz in case you are unaware. Which being unaware would shock the heck out of me because if I make anything professionally I’m gonna be aware of what & how my competitors do. It just seems like that answer was a slap in the face.
Sad too because I’ve always been such a fan of the GT series. I’d used to have gotten on here and tried to make positive suggestions for this game and idea for making it better… I’ve come to the conclusion after 2yrs this is an incomplete title that will never live up to the glory it COULD HAVE! Maybe that’s Sonys fault… Maybe it’s PD… Maybe Kaz and his team are out of touch which seems likely by his answers…. I know one thing… I know who’s fault its NOT…. It’s NOT our fault ( the consumer)
I’d probably sell my copy of GT5 if I hadn’t purchased so much DLC over its release time. I’ll say this last and then you can thrash me for having my opinion… If GT6 turns out anything like GT5 I’ll likely never buy a Gran Turismo game again!

Nov. 4, 6:29pm

TheEzekiel

+1

Nov. 4, 7:24pm

aronh17

It’s incomplete because of the fans. They rush the devs, then complain. Sad but true story. As for the people that say, “You don’t need 5 years to make a game!” Most of the games anyone has played is running on older engines. So they can pump out games in no time. I’m quite sure Forza 4 is running on the same engine as Forza 1. Hell even DICE made the Frostbite 2 engine while throwing out Bad Company games and working on BF3. That’s easily 5 years alone. I’d say 2-3 years of GT5 development time went into making the engine and fine tuning the physics alone. You cannot just throw out a brand new engine, it needs to be tested and used to make sure everything is fine. Even BF3 running Frostbite 2.0 wasn’t tested enough, it has a lot of bugs.

Nov. 5, 10:13am

Foxiol

I am in the same boat as you. I have the Signature Edition and bought every DLC and i stopped playing the game mostly because of the engine sounds. Incredible to see that answer from him…

Nov. 4, 5:45pm

ChicoMaloXD

“The sounds are just too good for players to comprehend.” -KY :P

Nov. 4, 8:06pm

pnbr0014

yeh LOL… maby he has a hearing problem.. or maby his ears were forged from the fires of mount doom or sumthin i dunno..

Nov. 4, 5:35pm

CorvetteConquer

Project Cars cannot come fast enough. We need a game that is built and designed by user-feedback. Gran Turismo could use this fan-interaction, too.

Too many times does Kaz say “we”, when referring to PD. He rarely mentions the community unless it’s mentioned by the interviewer (Jordan).

Nov. 4, 5:24pm

Moglet

“the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real.”

Bullcrap. I’ve got a basic Yaris IRL and it sounds ‘beefier’ than the T-Sport featured in the game. :/

Nov. 4, 5:20pm

hennessey86

There you have it, GT5 engine sounds are too realistic. I have heard it all now, honestly how can he just blatantly lie lik that to millions of loyal GT fans. The sounds are far from realistic and if they are not vastly improved for GT6 I will not bother buying it

Nov. 4, 5:30pm

Moontallico

Ditto.
If the sounds remain the same for GT6 (something Kaz is practically implying), then GT5 is the last GT game for me.

Nov. 4, 5:49pm

BMfan

“the sounds are far from realistic” Have you ever played GT5?
A lot of the cars do sound right, some you have to add a sports exhaust and
yes there are cars that don’t sound like the real one but what did you expect it’s a game.

Nov. 4, 6:03pm

Moontallico

@BMfan Question is, why do other games got them right for all cars and why can’t PD get them for GT5.
And no. the amount of cars is irrelevant, because a lot of cars are just other countries versions of one car or special versions, so PD could, just like interior views, have use the sounds from one car to the other versions.

Nov. 4, 6:20pm

BMfan

Name me another PS3 racing game that sounds perfect.

Nov. 4, 6:22pm

hennessey86

Have I played GT5, why is that the default question whenever someone dares to question anything in GT5. The answer is yes, bought it day 1 and its a great game but the sounds are terrible.

Nov. 4, 6:27pm

hennessey86

f1 2012 sounds great

Nov. 4, 6:40pm

Moontallico

@BMfan On the PS3 what comes to mind is the F1 games, Burnout Paradise (despite the fake cars, the sounds are preety good), and Need for Speed Pro Street (despite hating EA, I must admit that they did a preety good job on these sounds) just to name a few.
Now if you don’t think only about PS3 and talk about PC, there’s rFactor/GTR2 mods with great sounds, and the one to come GTR3, which by their preview on their website the sounds are really spot on.

Now I’m not saying these have the best sounds ever, but these are way better than GT5’s sounds.

Nov. 4, 5:14pm

WangansGodHand

“There are many high quality racing games and simulators on the market today. What do you feel makes Gran Turismo 5 different from these games?”

GT5 has 51 different Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in the game (excluding the GT-R, which has 13). In addition, 27 S2000s, 26 of the Z models (Z32-Z34), 30 Miatas, 33 RX7s, 29 NSXs (26 Honda, 3 Acura), 23 Lancer Evos, and 27 Imprezas. Really, is it necessary to have more than one variant of a normal street car?

In addition, I’d say at least half of the car selection consists of Japanese cars. The other games have a more balanced selection.

Nov. 4, 6:04pm

Amac500

I’m fine with having a couple variations, but off course that’s across the board. I’m talking American and European cars, NOT JUST JAPANESSE CARS. Tale the 458 for example. We have the normal version, but there is also a spyder version and several racing versions. I mean, if it’s easy to add to the game a couple variations are fine, but there comes a point where it’s time to take the time and make sonething new, because we do get tired of Nissan’s. If it was up to me I would make a DLC with maybe 5 of the sexy sports prototypes that raced from the mid to late 50’s through most of the 60’s. In my opinion those cars are the coolest looking era of cars ever and they would add a lot of flavor being different. There is nothing compatible to them in the game right now I don’t think. Many of them were open topped, the dimensions were slightly smaller, they looked GOOD. And if they want to give us variations, just let us pop a race number on their. If we could do that with those sports prototype models I talked about, now that would be something different I’d love to see!

Nov. 4, 5:01pm

SolidSnake7735

How many of you guys here are sound designers?

First off, Kaz is doing his best to answer questions without promising revealing or confirming anything for a future game that not even HE knows how soon it will be released.

As for sounds? The sounds in the game ARE very realistic, but they are not SEXY. This is because even though they use the same method of recording sounds as most developers, they don’t seem to know how to PROCESS those sounds for great effect.

Get off his back, because you are all still playing GT5 and will probably still get GT6 even if they don’t fix much of the issues. Even if you sell it down the line, you already bought it just to see for yourself if it meets your standards.

Nov. 4, 5:39pm

R34EVO9

+1 dude

Nov. 4, 5:57pm

Moontallico

Hmmmm, I’m not a professional sound designer, but I do some sounds for rFactor (I’m actually helping the creators of the NAGT mod).
…And the sounds are really bad.
They lack that real beefy/deep sound, the intake (the grumble) and load sound which gives the cars the “power” sound we all love.
The onload and offload (acceleration and deceleration) sounds are exactly the same.
Some of the samples are too short and you can actually detect when they begin and end (bad looping).
And so on…

The sounds as they are, are just ‘sterile’, ‘massaged’ or better yet, soft, and fake.

Nov. 4, 6:00pm

another_jakhole

“…, they don’t seem to know how to PROCESS those sounds for great effect.”

Exactly, that’s what they TRIED to do in at least three of the updates starting with Spec 2.0. I wonder how many people would dare to think we’d have been better off if they didn’t change any of the sound effects. GT5 is capable of 7.1 surround sound. I’m only using a basic setup (with high quality speakers though). The engine sounds are realistic. People exaggerate what they say it should sound like. Project CARS is pretty good and obviously it’s better. I don’t think there’s only one route to take with the sounds though. SolidSnake7735 proved a good point with how simple you guys think when it comes to capturing, then mimicking a car’s sounds’ naturally.

Nov. 4, 6:04pm

another_jakhole

“The sounds as they are, are just ‘sterile’, ‘massaged’ or better yet, soft, and fake.”

“As for sounds? The sounds in the game ARE very realistic, but they are not SEXY. This is because even though they use the same method of recording sounds as most developers, they don’t seem to know how to PROCESS those sounds for great effect.”

Who’s denying what?

Nov. 4, 6:07pm

another_jakhole

When I say “mimicking”, I mean “manipulating” more.

Nov. 4, 6:11pm

MuoNiuLa

Why can other developers do a job with sound then? Just sounds like you’re making more excuses for PD.

Nov. 4, 6:12pm

MuoNiuLa

*a better job

Nov. 4, 6:25pm

Moontallico

SolidSnake7735 is with the word realistic.
Actually he’s kinda contradicting himself.
How can he say the car sounds are realistic yet badly processed?
The sounds would be realistic IF they knew how to process those sounds.

And when people say the sounds sound realistic if you have a good sound system like the one you wrote, a 7.1 surround system, and not with just the TV speakers, then they’re not good sounds.
What those expensive sistems do is allow people to change the sound frequencies, gain and other stuff to try to improve the sounds.
If the sounds were actually good, they would sound realistic in any speaker without needing adjustment.
All this IMO of course.

Nov. 4, 6:39pm

soundfx

I’m a sound designer, and yes I create engine sounds for games… my opinion, I’d play GT5 more if the engine sounds were better, it’s that simple. Guess that shows how impressed I am with them.

Nov. 4, 7:11pm

SolidSnake7735

@Moontallico

Here is why I’m not contradicting myself

When broadcasting sound from live programming, the broadcaster doesn’t have to create from scratch the sounds they’re capturing. They simply stream them to be heard live. The only processing that goes into place is sound balancing, levels, equalizing sometimes, and they try to keep the sounds as original as possible. I’ve worked in broadcasting, I know this firsthand. The sounds are being made LIVE.

The difference with Video Games is that there have to be algorithms set in place to play a sound from the game’s sound files at any given moment. They have to be PROCESSED for playback.

What PD has done is set the playback to run the sound of a car at any given RPM. And the Turbo’s Blow-Off Valve is one sound sample. Instead what they SHOULD do is have an algorithm in place that plays back a car’s engine noise not only at any given RPM but differentiate between acceleration, deceleration, heavy load, light load, when you floor it and when you feather the gas. The differences in air intake depending how open the throttle is and that swooshing suction sound from bigger engines. I could go on forever with what sound they should capture, like the suspension loading and squeaking under heavy loads and so on.

At least the exhaust backfire sounds cool, as well as the tires screeching, slipping and sliding.

There needs to be an algorithm in place to control ALL of those parameters at any given moment to reproduce authentic sound. Think of what Battlefield 3 has done in sound design, making the WORLD a dynamic soundscape where the sounds are activated as you traverse the environment. The sounds are carried by their respective subject. For example, the sound of a bullet whizzing by. The sound is CARRIED by the bullet, heard by the soldier. What determines if it’s a zip, whiz or crackle is how far the bullet is from the soldier’s head because there is a sound sphere algorithm set to that bullet. The close to the epicenter of the sound (the bullet) the lounder the sound. But it’s a 3-layered sphere in which at a certain distance from the epicenter, the sound changes to a zip, then a whiz. The epicenter being the snap/crackle. and then the thud of impact is a different sound algorithm in which the subject of the sound IS the point of impact, and the sound plays from THERE.

As opposed to GT, the sounds are played by the game’s ear (aka, the driver’s head) and the sounds are different in relation to the subjects distance and orientation. Such ass roof-cam (you’ll hear the turbos spooling and blow-off valve), chase cam (for the better exhaust note), and bumper-cam (transmission and gearing noise, eww).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, can anyone tell me that I’m wrong or that I don’t know what I’m talking about. Cut PD some slack, they’re not a sound-centric studio like DICE has been or Santa Monica or Ubisoft Montreal or Rockstar North and San Diego. Why SONY hasn’t invested in a dedicated, expert sound team is beyond me, they choose how to spend their money.

If the sounds are sooooo integral to your enjoyment of the game, go play Forza and you’ll have an orgasm every time you step on the gas. But have fun with the subpar physics, which is WHY I PLAY Gran Turismo.

Good day.

Nov. 4, 8:26pm

MuoNiuLa

And even then, saying Forza has subpar physics is opinion and is debatable in itself. You go and enjoy GT though.

Nov. 4, 8:29pm

TomBrady

I’m an audio engineer. And although I understand what he was saying, the recording technique is the problem, but “too accurate” that’s nonsense. Some of the cars, HSV 010 comes to mind, there’s no way you can tell me they recorded the actual car at all. not to mention, if they record “too accurately”, why do all cars sound the same/like crap when you add titanium exaust?

The problem is, they record way to close, and they don’t record the ambient sounds that we actually hear most of. Sure if you put your head right next to an engine and blocked everything else out (which is what they’re essentially doing by using directional mic’s), it may sound how it does in GT5, but doesn’t sound even remotely accurate.

And I’m a strong believer in the fact that good sound in a simulator/racing game is merely a bonus, what matters most is the physics but “too accurate’, that’s just ludicrous

If you expected any juicy details on GT6, you guys are dreaming. You might as well ask Kojima what the plot of the next Metal Gear Solid is going to be and who the characters are. And what weapons will be in it. And what the new Gears are going to be like. Oh, and the last boss.

No one else is forthcoming either, and yet you guys always fling poo at Kaz. Oh, and as for sounds, I’m not fussed, sorry. However, you guys must have reading comprehension if you think the sounds will always be the same, since he said, “I think it would be a good thing to sort of design the sound a little bit, and so that is something I would like to challenge ourselves with in the future. …I think we maybe need to make things sexier sometimes, and I think that is something the Gran Turismo team might need to work on.”

So, whatever.

Nov. 4, 4:53pm

another_jakhole

“However, you guys must have reading comprehension…”

qft

Nov. 4, 4:49pm

another_jakhole

with the sounds – Here we go again with people takings things too literally.

Nov. 4, 4:51pm

another_jakhole

ha “Engine sounds are perfect, next question.”

yea of course, that’s exactly what Kaz said.
/s

Nov. 4, 4:53pm

Tenacious D

You have to wonder if GT5 blows so bad for so many of the guys around here why they even bother with the place anymore. There is constructive criticism, and then there’s just trolling.

Nov. 4, 4:55pm

Terronium-12

You’d know about trolling wouldn’t you, Tenacious?

Nov. 4, 4:57pm

another_jakhole

It used to be worse, but still. It’s a matter with people’s egos thinking that they know how everything should be done. Some things, yes, and probably not most.

Nov. 4, 4:58pm

another_jakhole

Ignore his comment. To think you and them are the same?

Nov. 4, 5:05pm

SimonK

How should we interpret those comments then oh wise one?

Nov. 4, 4:46pm

SimonK

Here is a translation:

“On behalf of the GTPlanet community, thank you for your time today, it is great to speak with you again. As you know, fans are eager to learn more about your future plans for the Gran Turismo series. At the GT Academy finals at Silverstone, you said you wanted to focus on “human drama” in the next game. Can you explain what you meant by that?”

No, not really. GT Academy will probably still be around though, I like that.

“Can you describe how the various themes, cars, and tracks are chosen for GT5‘s Seasonal Events?”

No, not really. Someone picks them, I say yes or no and that’s about it.

“Critics often complain about the car engine sounds in GT5, claiming they sound sterile or artificial. What is your opinion on these engine sounds in GT5, and will these critics’ concerns be addressed in future games?”

Engine sounds are perfect, next question.

“Many online rooms in GT5 are created by players who want to compete against each other in drag races. GT4, of course, featured a drag strip here in Las Vegas, but there is no specialized drag racing track in GT5. Will a formal drag racing mode ever appear in GT5 or return to the series in future games?”

Maybe. Maybe not.

“Can you explain why you decided to introduce the experience point & leveling system in GT5, and do you expect to keep it in future games?”

I probably could but I’m not going to, I’ll just give you some spiel about how it’s hard to decide these things but usually they’re done in 5 minutes when one of us has a lightbulb moment.

“There are many high quality racing games and simulators on the market today. What do you feel makes Gran Turismo 5 different from these games, and how do you think these features will evolve in the future?”

You tell me, we’re completely oblivious to any other game and we will continue this ignorance in the future. If things don’t go well and other games continue to be better we’ll just blame time, then you can blame Sony for forcing us to release games.

“Lucas Ordóñez just competed at Petit Le Mans in the radical DeltaWing car. What are your thoughts on this car, and can players ever expect to drive it in a Gran Turismo game?”

I don’t know, it looks pretty weird right?!?! It might appear in a GT game, it might not.

“For over ten years, the GTPlanet community has tried to figure out what type of car is under the sheet on the North American cover of the first Gran Turismo game; many think it is a 1997 Camaro. Can you finally put this debate to rest and reveal what the car is?”

No, not really. I’ve no idea lolz.

Nov. 4, 4:51pm

Tenacious D

Blah, blah, blah…

Nov. 4, 5:05pm

karelpipa

he is right.

Nov. 4, 5:14pm

Eric.

Lol. Pretty much what I read. Sounds like he’s running for office.

Nov. 4, 4:45pm

Slashfan

So Drag racing may return, and engine sounds ARE TOO REAL??????? LOL

Nov. 4, 4:42pm

ZedMan1996

The Honda HSV Super-GT in Gran Turismo 5 DLC sounds like many other cars in gt5. Howver in real life, it sounds almost like an F1 car.

Nov. 4, 6:08pm

Amac500

That is true, and in real life the Audi R10 TDI is almost silent because of it’s TDI engine. In fact in 2006 people at the track said it was so quite that at times you could here the wheels screeching down the road over the tires, even on the Mulsanne straight. In GT5 it sounds as throuty as anything else. That sound doesn’t real bug me in the game though, the still behave, look, and perform realistically anyways.

Nov. 4, 4:39pm

DawgCCCP

Interview was weak!

Drifing is like a freaking big part of motorsport especially in Japan, and yet there is no D1GP, D1SL in the game.. Over so many years and yet there haven’t been even one hint about it coming to the GT series.

And customisation of the cars is by far from awesome, I am glad there is some, but the choise of the customisation is really low (no spacers for the wheels, poor amount of rims, poor bodykits).
If some of the people here ever played the a game on PS2 called Kaido Racer knows how much you could customise on the car apperal.

And not to start about the low amount of EU cars and US cars!

These are the things that have to be implemented in future GT series.

Nov. 4, 4:56pm

Mattycakes

drifting, drifting, drifting. I thought people play GT to race. Thats why there is…oh wait, every other racing game on the market for the drifting kids.

Nov. 4, 6:18pm

SZRT Ice

@ Pattycakes: No. People play GT5 for many different reasons. I drift. I love customization. Vinyl editing. Etc. In fact, in GTTV on GT5’s main menu screen, D1 is listed. Not to mention our weekly drift trial updates. So stop trolling. It’s not made just for you & people like you. There’s people who drag on route x, rally, and kart too. It’s a game for everyone.

Nov. 4, 8:55pm

DawgCCCP

@Matty, Matt I am all but kid btw stop making a fool out of your self, I belive there is plenty of racing in GT don’t you think? And GT slogan: Real Driving Simulator, “Driving”- part rings any bells? No? Well, too bad..

I might not covered all the aspects missing out of GT5 though, I could say Drag, I could say Rally, sounds are still weak, I could say whatever I want. And there will be still one or another less mature guy with reaction like yours.

You want to know why I play GT? I love cars thats why I play GT, I love the fact that its not some arcade random racing title that its a more or less a simulator(therefor I can use my T500 properly!), I love taking a random car to the track in GT and drive it around, race it, drift it, do whatever the heck I want to do!

– Dawg

Nov. 4, 4:38pm

uberlight25

Kaz is awesome! Thank you for the interview!

Nov. 4, 4:39pm

Capp96100

What??? it’s too proud and confused…

Nov. 4, 4:34pm

Kevzido

“My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real.”

…wat.

Nov. 4, 4:33pm

AKps3

the sounds are good but just to clean

why not question about the posche license or if we will get some RUF cars?

Nov. 4, 6:20pm

SZRT Ice

Yes! New Ruf’s!

Nov. 4, 4:33pm

Mattycakes

I know Kaz plays his cards pretty close to his chest, but this interview was a new low. The only thing anyone learned from this is that Kaz has a serious hearing problem that he needs to address.

Nov. 4, 4:57pm

HarVee

Agreed.

Nov. 4, 4:28pm

Coiler

the sounds are just too good? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

Nov. 4, 4:27pm

HKSBro92

So I guess this means GT6 will have the same engine sounds….

Nov. 4, 4:21pm

lspredator

Have he ever Tryed the GAME?????

Nov. 4, 4:20pm

Yauma9

LOL’d hard on “sounds are just too real”
Altough, maybe he meant they’re just too… umm, how to put it… artificial, perfect? (by perfect I don’t mean they completely recreate the actual sound, but instead they don’t have that growl)

Nov. 4, 4:19pm

RedBaron

Saying that engine sounds in GT are too real is either narcism, bad understanding or bad joke.

Cure for future GT sound is: Better sampling, no sound recycling (even those samples from GT3), better mixing with more samples (especially the ones before redline) and finally, WORK WITH THROTTLE OPENING and real engine stress, not some DYNO boredom! As soon as you do, GT players will enter new Nirvana while playing…

Nov. 4, 4:16pm

GranTurismo916

The sounds are too real? Wow…..

Nov. 4, 4:16pm

karelpipa

Vague interview.
Only good answer is the last. *If he will really look for it* :)

Nov. 4, 4:13pm

NSXDriver

“My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real.” LOLOL funniest thing i’ve read all day, thanks for the laugh.

Nov. 4, 4:11pm

lspredator

What about DRIFTING!?
We WANT to have all the scetion in D1GP and Formula Drift
And more Old Euro cars that is populare in Drifting, more STYLING, CHANGE ENGINE’s in cars, TURBO SOUND :)

Nov. 4, 4:27pm

Mattycakes

You can keep your drifting, kid. I play GT to race.

Nov. 4, 4:11pm

bypo

Pointless interview.. He didnt say anything at all… Just empty answers.. AGAIN guys…

Nov. 4, 4:10pm

Capp96100

Sounds are just too real? Bah…bad and poor answers… anyway, thanks jordan for the interview!

Nov. 4, 4:08pm

larsh

A very bad interview with very bad answers. More investigative questions please, this is just stupid. He does not say anything.

What answer is that about the “drama”? What was the question about anyway?

The online race question: why not asking “why do you do the same over and over again? Why no endurance, why a japanese-car-classics again, why this and that track, why always chasing-the-rabbit” ? Why no question about the latest Honda-car sound which is just not real (beside a lot of other sounds that are not real)… nooooo, you believe the b/s about “it is just too real”.

He does not even have an answer to the question why GT5 is better than other car games.
I guess GT6 will be veeeeeery bad, Kaz just don’t have any more ideas.

Nov. 4, 4:09pm

QuikSlvr223

Yeah, it’s pretty sad.

Nov. 4, 4:08pm

Vend1go

nice last answer ;D

Nov. 4, 4:07pm

QuikSlvr223

I wish these developers and executives, in interviews, just say yes or no instead of, “It might come sometime later, we’ll see.”